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2025 TEXSOM Diaries: Sommer Camp Part One
Howdy from TEXSOM 2025, where I’m taking part in Sommer Camp! I’ll be sharing my experiences here on The Wine Fairy blog. Here’s what I did (and tasted) on my first day of Sommer Camp. The best way to learn to do something is often just to do it. Or at least, that’s what I…
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Merlot Thursday: Hope Tree California Merlot (NV)
On the tasting table today is a $5 bottle of non-vintage Merlot from Sprouts Farmers Market. But is it a Merl-icious bargain, or a Merlot no-go? Time to grab my best dollar-store glassware and twist that cap! We are earnest aspirants to fine-wine appreciation in this household. But we’re also cool with not-so-fine wine and…
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A visit to Siboney Cellars (Johnson City, TX)
Just off Texas Highway 290, a long driveway curves off the highway and climbs gently up to a limestone plateau. Vineyards spread out to the east towards Johnson City, a small town best known as the boyhood home of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Arid plants and clusters of old live oaks dot the property, and…
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Local Sips: Saturday Tastings at Pogo’s Wine & Spirits (Dallas, TX)
Free wine is good wine, for the most part. All but the most hardened wine snobs can generally agree on that proposition. And yet, the more you learn about wine–the more you explore and taste–the more it seems that generic, mass-produced wine loses its appeal. Even if you don’t have to pay for it. Sure,…
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What Is This Thing? El Tuerto Tempranillo Blanco Rioja (2022)
Driven by curiosity (and captive to novelty), it’s time for us to uncork another strange little wine bottle: A white Tempranillo from Rioja. White Tempranillo? Yeah, that’s right. Like Pinot Noir and Grenache before it, the premier black grape of Spain has lately spawned an albino cousin. (Yes, I know that productive vines can’t technically…
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Review: Trapiche “Tesoro” Uco Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2021)
Recently, through weekly Merlot tastings, I’ve been rediscovering the joy of Merlot. And readers of this blog know about my recent infatuation (now entering its second year, so maybe things are finally getting serious) with Grenache. But my long-term honeyboo, my ride-or-die, my desert-island soul grape is still none other than Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s what…
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Merlot Thursday: Château Franc Patarabet Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2020)
Like a made-from-scratch spinach dip, a pair of suede loafers, a corduroy armchair…the best things in the world are cozy and opulent at the same time. We can surely add Merlot to that list. Unapologetically plush and oh-so easy to enjoy, it’s no wonder Merlot has been snubbed by those who think wine needs to…
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Swipe, self-serve, and sip at Salute Wine Bar (Fort Worth, TX)
Automated wine bars have been a part of urban life for a little while now. I’ve seen them on cruise ships, in hotel lobbies, and popping up in trendy neighborhoods in big cities like San Francisco and New York. So when I had a couple of hours to relax in Fort Worth, I just had…
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Review: w/o Frappato Terre Siciliane IGT (2023)
Tasting a new grape is a lot like meeting a friend of a trusted friend: Hello, new grape! Unless you give me a reason not to, I’m certain I’m going to love you. I was especially predisposed to love Frappato, one of Southern Italy’s rare and special wine varieties. Lighter and more aromatic than Nero…
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DFW Day Trip: San Martiño Winery (Lavon, TX)
On a drizzly summer Saturday, we wandered east of Dallas to San Martiño Winery & Vineyards. A tip from a wine friend had led us to this hidden family winery in a growing DFW suburb. It’s located in Lavon, Texas on Highway 205 between Lavon Lake and Lake Ray Hubbard. Spanish touches are everywhere, beginning…
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Review: Donnachiara Fiano de Avellino (2022)
When shopping for EU wines, it can be hard to make sense of the label. There are far too many proper nouns. It’s a humbling reminder of how much there is to learn in the world of wine. For those of us who grew up drinking mass-produced domestic wines with just a couple of words…
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Review: La Croix Bonis Saint-Estèphe Bordeaux (2018)
No adventurous pairings or exotic bottles tonight. It’s Restaurant Week in Dallas, which means it’s time for some steak ‘n Bordeaux! For local foodies, taking full advantage of DFW Restaurant Week–it actually lasts for more than a month–can be hard on the liver, the waistline, and the wallet. That’s why me and my table opted…